Overdoses on the decline in Manatee County

BRADENTON, Fla. (FOX 13) - 2015 marked a dark year for Manatee County, as deputies and paramedics responded to call after call of heroin and fentanyl overdoses.

"We knew people were dying because of that drug. That drug was devastating families and destroying our community," said Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells.

Overdoses skyrocketed to 984 in 2016, with 126 opioid-related deaths. Wells knew he had to act fast. His office began targeting dealers and traffickers, with help from federal authorities and the State Attorney's Office.

"They were aware that they were selling a drug that was killing people and they didn’t care," Wells said.

The sheriff's office also turned their attention to helping people fight addiction.

"We were not there to arrest them. We were there to get them into treatment. That started to pay off. Eventually they started to get us information," the sheriff said.